Before you can sell anything to anyone, you must first
understand what it is they need. Here are some ways to do that:

Do your homework
Prior to your meeting with the customer, do your homework to find
out as much as you can about his business. Read relevant trade
journals, do a periodicals search for articles about his product or
industry at the library, read the Wall Street Journal. Find out who
your customer's competitors are, what changes are coming in his
business and what his chief concerns are likely to be. But always
keep in mind that you will gain the most valuable information and
insight into your customer's business concerns by talking
directly with him.

Open your mind, not your sample case
Don't walk into a customer meeting with a pre-conceived idea of
what you're going to sell them and how you will sell it.
You'll sell more in the long run by finding out what aspect of
the transaction matters most to your customer. For example, even if
you and your competitors are each selling the same widget at the
same price, your customer may be most concerned about payment
terms, another might be focused on the reliability of shipments,
while yet another may care most about product warranties. If you
walk in and flip open your widget case before you find any of this
out, you'll have missed an opportunity to distinguish yourself
from your competitors.

Listen closely
When you're on a sales call, you're there to gather at
least as much information as you communicate. This means asking
questions and then keeping quiet until your customer has finished
with his answers. Don't start answering objections before your
prospect has finished talking. The more you can get your customers
to talk, the better you will understand what matters to them. Once
you know that, you can make sure your presentation addresses their
concerns -- and eventually get their business.

Ask questions that provoke dialogue
Avoid asking closed ended questions that will get you
"yes" or "no" answers. Such questions typically
start with words like "Is," "Do,"
"Are". Instead, try to ask questions that begin
"what" "when" "where" "how"
"tell me" and "why," because they almost force
the person to elaborate. You will get replies that start
conversations. For example, "Do you have problems with
vendors?" won't get you as far as "Tell me what you
would like your vendors to do better." Your goal is to get
your prospect talking about his problems and concerns so that you
can determine ways your business can solve them.

Beware of questions that will slam the door shut
Instead, ask questions that will solicit key information. If you
ask a customer "Can I give you a proposal on that
project?" you'll get a "yes" or "no"
answer and that's that. But if you start the process by saying
"Tell me the criteria you look for in a proposal..." you
are learning critical information instead of ending the
discussion.

Survey your customers and prospects
Use written questionnaires or telephone surveys to learn more about
your customers and prospects. Solicit comments from current
customers about their level of satisfaction with your product or
service. Or you might design a survey that will educate you about
your prospects' business needs. When a customer or a prospect
takes the trouble to complete a questionnaire, you've achieved
something more than just learning from the responses. The fact that
he's made even the minimal effort tells you something about his
level of interest in your product or service. You now have a
qualified lead to follow up.

The views
and opinions contained herein are not necessarily those of American
Express and are intended as a reference and for informational
purposes only. Please contact your attorney, accountant or other
business professional for advice specific to your
business.